Editorial commentary: Here today, gone tomorrow: The LAA and stroke

Stroke prevention in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) continues to attract great clinical interest [1,2], the result of several known issues including (1) the high morbidity and mortality associated with stroke, which is the number one cause of death and disability, (2) the frequency of non-valvular atrial fibrillation and its association with an increased incidence of stroke —greater than 20% of strokes particularly in elderly patients are related to the NVAF, (3) the findings that approximately 90% of strokes in this setting are related to thrombus in the left atrial appendage (LAA) [3], (4) anticoagulation with either vit K A or DOACs is effective in significantly r educing stroke rates in this setting but are associated with a cumulative risk of bleeding [4], (5) estimates are that 40–50% of patients at an increased risk of stroke from NVAF are either not treated with OAC related to absolute or relative contraindications or because the level of OAC is not ad equate related to non-compliance placing them at an increased risk of stroke [4,5].
Source: Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research